SPB’s sudden demise in 2020, during the onset of the pandemic, left tens of thousands of his fans, from across the globe devastated, but for his colleague legendary playback singer KS Chithra, it was an unparalleled personal loss.
In an exclusive conversation with ETimes, KS Chithra recalls her last interaction with the iconic SP Balasubrahmanyam.
“During the onset of the pandemic, when most of us including me were sitting idle at home, SPB sir was occupied conducting online concerts, to raise funds for the struggling musicians. He had also reached out to me, asking to prepare a script for the album he was working on at the time. It was a song to create awareness about the pandemic,” KS Chithra reminisced.
KS Chithra takes a stroll down the memory lane and shares that SPB was one the simplest people she has ever come across in life, “We used to converse over the phone very often. When he had Lord Ayyappan songs or Lord Krishna songs in the pipeline, he would ask my inputs. He would seek my assistance for Malayalam pronunciation, and I would take his help when it comes to Telugu songs. As he is not a Keralite, and since some of the Malayalam letters especially ‘nna’ and ‘na’ are written as ‘n’ in songs, he would ring me and ask the right pronunciation. I would mark the portions and mark how to pronounce and send them back. He would ask my thoughts while rendering songs.”
KS Chithra shares that she was in touch with SPB via phone while he had contracted the coronavirus. “A few days before contracting the virus, I was supposed to meet him. Both of us were invited to a television program. The shoot was in Hyderabad, but I was concerned to travel since the pandemic situation was worsening. The coordinators said that SPB sir is driving himself to the shoot, to avoid the public transport and they asked if I could do the same. I wasn’t sure because travelling from Kerala to Hyderabad during that time felt unsafe. So I couldn’t make it and I conveyed the same to sir and he said that was the right decision,” she adds.
“It was musician Sharath, who told me about SPB sir being hospitalized. A couple of days later I texted him ‘Get well soon’ and he replied, “I am feeling better, but it would take 2-3 days more for me to return home.” That was the last message I received from him. However, later we heard his health was deteriorating, and then… Even though I heard the news that he was in critical condition, I was positive that he would return back to his normal life, healthier. Because SPB sir was an utmost optimistic person. He was someone who would always look at the brighter side of life. He used to say that he will make it to at least 90. Because people in his family lived through their 90s, healthily. I think his mother passed away while she was almost nearing 100. He was very confident that he would be here that long,” she recalls.
“Even today, when I hear SPB sir’s songs, I cannot believe that he is no more. Last day, I was thinking, if he hadn’t contracted the virus during the onset of the pandemic, he would have survived, because now we have vaccines, and better understanding on how to deal with the virus,” KS Chithra sums up.
